The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) released a report titled “Leveraging Natural Gas to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions”. This report examines the implications of expanded natural gas use in the economy, and recommends plans of action to maximize the climate benefits of natural gas.

The report estimates that natural gas will benefit the U.S. for the short- to mid-term by helping the U.S. work toward energy independence and gradually weaning the nation off petroleum and coal. However, the report notes that natural gas should not be a long-term solution because its use still produces green house gas emissions, such as methane, and that we should ensure that investment in low-carbon energies remains a priority.

In the power sector, the report concludes that rather than competing, natural gas and renewable energies should be viewed as complimentary. According to the report, natural gas’s ability to quickly scale-up or down its electricity production acts as a good buffer against the intermittency of renewables.

The report also contains site specific recommendations for the power, building, transportation, and manufacturing sectors, as well as distributed generation and infrastructure.